WIBDI launches Agri-tourism Farm To Table App - SAMOA OBSERVER

Women in Business Development Incorporated (W.I.B.D.I.) has launched their new Agri-tourism Farm to Table App for android smart phones.

The launch took place at their organic night market on Wednesday at the Samoa Tourism Authority Fale.

The Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Lopao’o Natanielu Mua gave the opening remarks and officially declared the Agri-tourism Farm to Table App officially launched.

He praised the non-profit organization for their hard work and innovation,

“It’s just the way they do things as a collective and they are more out there,” Lopao’o said.

“I hope and wish that all the government ministries who are delivering the services to our people, are like that. They are more people inclusive and for them to be more visible it is a huge encouragement and motivation for the people that are working with them. I would like to congratulate the management and all the members of the Women in business development organization who do a great job.”

“I have a lot more, I can go on all night and talk about what a marvelous job W.I.B.D.I. organization is doing and the services that they deliver and the one thing I can understand and know and believe, this organization knows where they came from – they know where they are and they know where they are going.”

“This is something that is very significant in the delivery of the services that are badly needed in the rural areas like agriculture. Organic farming is becoming more important because they are finding more and more now that people overseas market are actually asking for organic products.”

While the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries celebrated the pragmatism and resourcefulness of W.I.B.D.I, he also acknowledged that his Ministry could do a lot more in supporting such organisations and projects.

Right Next Door of the Launch: One of the Organically Certified Farmers at the Night Market

“And I’m sure that what you are doing with this app is going to enhance the work that you’re doing, its going to make people more aware of the work that you’re doing and for people like us, our ministry and my C.E.O. and I are very supportive of the work that you are doing.”

“Unfortunately we are not doing enough at the moment but we hope in the future no far away from now that my ministry and I will do a lot more. I also hope our donor organizations like my friend from America here will also help our efforts in W.I.B.D.I. to produce and make more products and services available in our market, not only for Samoa but for overseas.”

The farm to table app was developed by Skyeye with the support of the technical center for agricultural and rural co-operation and C.T.A. The app was designed to support W.I.B.D.I’s work in ensuring that more farmers earn a regular income through organic agriculture.

Communications specialist at W.I.B.D.I, Faamuina Felolini Tafuna’i said the idea for the app came from an agricultural meeting in Africa she attended in 2014 where she found that farmers in the Caribbean were utilizing this technology. Although the project took 3 years to finally eventuate, they are happy with the results particularly in that it is a hundred percent Samoan team thinking behind it.

“We were quite patient with it in finding the right people and we found Skyeye,” Faamuina said. “Before that we tried different people but they didn’t always understand Samoa, our infrastructure, our farmers, our limitations as well as the potential of this app.”

“Working with Skyeye they understand how W.I.B.D.I. works, its not a really high tech in our office. So we created something simple but something scale able. The purpose of this app or should I say the question is: how can a tourist discover organic food in Samoa? We know that people who eat organic, they love to see what’s going on in the farms.”

The Agri-tourism farm to table app aims to highlight organic produce/products and W.I.B.D.I. organic partners for the tourist market.

It will also publicize W.I.B.D.I’s work and help facilitate organic basket registration and product orders and sales. Specifically, the App will display restaurants/hotels as well as farmers who have partnered up with W.I.B.D.I. to provide organic products and provide their map location, navigation and contact details.

There is also a function for the tourists and the locals to order W.I.B.D.I. products and eventually the organization also hopes to include an order function for people to purchase their organic baskets.